Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses Spring 7-3-2018 A Temperate and Wholesome Beverage: the Defense of the American Beer Industry, 1880-1920 Lyndsay Danielle Smith Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the United States History Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Smith, Lyndsay Danielle, "A Temperate and Wholesome Beverage: the Defense of the American Beer Industry, 1880-1920" (2018). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 4497. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.6381 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. A Temperate and Wholesome Beverage: The Defense of the American Beer Industry, 1880-1920 by Lyndsay Danielle Smith A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Thesis Committee: Catherine McNeur, Chair Katrine Barber Joseph Bohling Nathan McClintock Portland State University 2018 © 2018 Lyndsay Danielle Smith i Abstract For decades prior to National Prohibition, the “liquor question” received attention from various temperance, prohibition, and liquor interest groups. Between 1880 and 1920, these groups gained public interest in their own way. The liquor interests defended their industries against politicians, religious leaders, and social reformers, but ultimately failed. While current historical scholarship links the different liquor industries together, the beer industry constantly worked to distinguish itself from other alcoholic beverages. To counter threats from anti-alcohol groups, beer industry advocates presented their drink as a wholesome, pure, socially and culturally rich, and economically significant beverage that stood apart from other alcoholic beverages, especially distilled spirits. Alongside these responses, breweries industrialized, reflecting scientific and technological innovations that allowed for modern production, storage, and distribution methods. Despite popularity and economic successes, the beer industry could not survive the anti-saloon campaigns, the changing nature of the American economy and taxation, political ambitions of the anti-liquor interests, and the influence of the First World War, which brought with it anti-German sentiments. This thesis will uncover the story of the American beer industry’s attempt to adjust to several threats facing it and how beer was ultimately condemned to the same fate as wine and spirits when National Prohibition went into effect. ii Dedication To my family, biological and otherwise, who support me despite not always understanding my choices. That includes my cats whose companionship throughout the pursuit of my graduate degree was truly invaluable. Thank you. iii Acknowledgements I never liked the taste of beer. Though my research into America’s beer history inspired me to gradually expand my palate, I did not begin my research based on personal beverage preferences. Instead, this study began as a journey to better understand why there is a passion for craft beer in my current hometown of Portland, Oregon. Independent breweries are common features in the city, and there is an abundance of beer-related events throughout the Pacific Northwest. The more I researched the beer industry in Portland, however, the more I saw its connection to a grander national history. What follows is a historical narrative that is intended to introduce readers to a momentous period in the history of the American beer industry, focusing on the years between 1880 to 1920. In short, this period marked the evolution of beer brewing into a significant American industry. Beer consumption rates soon surpassed all other alcoholic beverages. Simultaneously, beer industry advocates uniquely defended beer’s legitimacy in the face of several anti-alcohol campaigns. My research revealed how the beer industry played a complex political, economic, social, and cultural role in American history. Beer connected people and places in both positive and controversial ways. My hope is that this thesis will contribute to existing scholarship while sparking interest in researching American beer history further. In the future, I hope to expand on this topic and share my research with the public. For one, I want to help digitize primary material and make it more accessible to scholars and the public. Also, I want to study in detail more localized beer histories, such as those iv in the different regions of the United States. The relationships of different races, ethnicities, genders, and nationalities to the beer industry also deserve more scholarly attention. Finally, a comparative history of the American beer industry’s experience with alcohol reform to that of other nations might positively complicate the current historical narrative. As a public historian, I also want to explore different and impactful ways to engage the public in this topic. Already, there are numerous beer collectors and amateur historians with a passion for the history told through material culture. As one of the first stages of researching for this thesis, the American Breweriana Association extended a membership invitation to me. Through the ABA, I met Bryan Anderson, reputed to have one of the most impressive collections of pre-Prohibition breweriana from the Pacific Northwest. Viewing his collection helped me to better appreciate the material culture of the pre-Prohibition beer industry and inspired the subsequent direction of my research. I want to thank Bryan and his wife Laurie for their hospitality. I also want to thank Al Elkins for connecting me to Bryan and the ABA. I believe the increasing public interest in beer and beer history in the wake of the craft brewing revolution provides a platform to discuss historical connections to the current beer culture. I am curious to find what can be learned as more people, professional historians or otherwise, engage with beer history. There are several other people that deserve acknowledgement for their contributions to this work. While I remain brief here, I fear that some names will be left out. I apologize in advance and hope that I can personally share my gratitude. For now, I v must begin by giving special thanks to my thesis committee: Catherine McNeur, Katy Barber, Joseph Bohling, and Nathan McClintock. Their critiques and attention to detail were invaluable. Their trust and kind remarks were far more gracious than I expected and much appreciated. As a whole, my experience with the history department at Portland State University was very pleasant throughout the three years that I studied there. The staff and faculty that I interacted with shared a passion for history and truly cared about the well-being and professional growth of the students. While I shared sections of this thesis with different people, including commandeering numerous conversations to divulge some of the “cooler” stuff I found in my research, there were a couple notable readers that I wish to acknowledge here. First, my thesis advisor, Catherine McNeur provided incredible patience and guidance every step of the way. She was always accessible and put me at ease when the process overwhelmed me. Furthermore, she was the only one to read and comment on every draft over the last two and half years. I know that this thesis would not have been possible without her encouragement and welcomed criticisms. Another reader, C.J. Allen, has the distinction of having proofed most of my scholarly work over the last twelve and a half years. He read the final drafts of this thesis, helped me to vocalize my intentions and main arguments in meaningful ways, and talked me through some of the more challenging edits in the final stages. Moreover, over the last several months, he assisted me with this project from a distance while serving in the United States Navy. vi I also want to acknowledge my graduate program cohort as positive influences throughout my studies at PSU. Through countless discussions, positive feedback, and just being wonderful role models, these individuals helped me in researching and writing this thesis. Even more so, they helped me to better appreciate the work we do as historians. I wish Taylor Bailey, Nicole Kindle, Tanya Monthey, Will Schneider, Greta Smith, and Heather Viets the very best in their personal and professional endeavors. In researching this thesis, I visited the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, Oregon State University Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives, and the City of Portland Archives and Records Center. I want to thank the staff at each of these institutions for their help. Tiah Edmunson-Morton, archivist and curator of the Oregon State University Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives, provided the most help at multiple points during this process. She spoke with me at length more than once and reached out with digital material when I could not make the trip to Corvallis. Her passion for beer history was evident in every one of our exchanges and can be witnessed in the depth and quality of work she does for the archives. Next, I want to acknowledge my family and closest friends. I dedicated this thesis to them as they provided the encouragement, support, and stability that I needed as my work progressed. To list every person here is not possible, but I do want to recognize a few individuals specifically: my mom and dad; my sisters, Amanda and Kayla; Amanda Gunter; Jessica Dickson; C.J. Allen; and D.J. Kerns. These individuals were consistent, gracious companions throughout this thesis project and my pursuit of a graduate degree. vii Finally, I feel it is important to acknowledge that my appreciation for beer and beer culture have changed over the course of this project. This undertaking challenged me personally and professionally while introducing me to so many wonderful individuals along the way.